BARNESVILLE - Citing a potential loss of "millions of dollars," Marcellus and Utica shale driller Gulfport Energy is suing the village of Barnesville for the right to draw water from the Slope Creek Reservoir for its nearby fracking operations. Filed earlier this month in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Gulfport's lawsuit claims the Oklahoma City-based firm should be allowed to take water from the reservoir, located about five miles south of the village, unless the "health and safety of area residents and businesses are impaired." "Barnesville has frustrated Gulfport's right to develop minerals under the mineral rights agreement by refusing to provide Gulfport with water in violation of Gulfport's water rights," company attorney O. Judson Scheaf states in his complaint. "Barnesville has wrongfully maintained that Gulfport's water rights are limited by the 2014 water use agreement between Barnesville and Antero" Resources.

Not only is this bad PR I'm now ashamed to be leased to them. This is my hometown. I've lived here since the 70s ever since I was a kid everyone has removed the resources from our area and never given back. In the 70s it was Strip mining. Then logging now gas. There's not a day goes by you can't count 200 plus trucks running through this town. Our kids still can't find jobs. Our roads are destroyed.Now they want to Sue because we won't give them all our water.The Ohio river is 30 miles from here.They are running pipelines everywhere for oil for profit why not one for them to use water. I love to go Kayaking down on Slope creek and occasionally fishing. they are ruining our way of life. I'm no tree hugger but they should at least leave things they way they found them or in my opinion better. It's not just this company but many others running pipelines that are destroying our roads. My road is totally destroyed. when I call them on it they put gravel down over top the ruts and potholes. It's clear to me there not here to repair things for the long term but just to get them out of here at minimal cost.